East Timor Grants ICC Exemption to U.S. Soldiers
Mon Aug 26, 6:37 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The newly independent state of East Timor has
signed
an agreement exempting U.S. military personnel from prosecution in the
International Criminal Court, the State Department said on Monday.
The small east Asian country is only the third government to sign such
a
pact, known as an Article 98 agreement after part of the treaty that set
up
the court to try genocide and crimes against humanity. The others are
Romania and Israel.
The United States has refused to cooperate with the new court on the
grounds that its troops might face frivolous or politically motivated
prosecutions. It is trying to persuade every country in the world,
including its closest allies, to sign one of the Article 98 agreements.
The United States had two U.S. soldiers in a U.N. force in East Timor
but
decided to withdraw them in July at the same time as the U.N. Security
Council was debating the future of a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Bosnia.
The gesture was widely interpreted as a U.S. warning but U.S. officials
said it was not connected with the debate.
A State Department official said he was not sure if any U.S. personnel
were
now part of the East Timor force.
The government signed the agreement on Friday with U.S. diplomats based
in
the capital Dili, he added.
The United States is now in conflict with the European Union
over whether the 15-nation bloc should make a joint decision on
Article 98 agreements or should leave it to each country to take up the
U.S. request.
Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote to European governments on Aug.
16
urging them to make up their own minds rather than wait for a European
Union meeting this week.
A U.S. official said last week that without Article 98 agreements with
members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the United States might
have to reconsider how it takes part in joint exercises or military operations.
But State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Monday: "The
United
States' commitment to NATO is very strong. It's a cornerstone of our
security. There's no question of our commitment to NATO in terms of its
role in enhancing our security and the security of all its members."
He also denied that the United States would judge candidates for NATO
membership on whether they sign agreements exempting U.S. troops from
prosecution in the court.
"But these things are important to us, Article 98 agreements, and
we'll
continue to pursue them strongly," the spokesman added.